Tesla Shows Off Model S at CES 2012

While walking the floor at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show, we decided to stop by the NVIDIA booth again and check out what they had going on. Upon getting there we were determined to learn more about the TESLA Model S vehicle which we’ve been excited about for years. Although there haven’t really been many updates on the exact date of its availability, many people have already placed their deposits ($5000 USD) on a ~$57,000 USD vehicle. It is supposed to be available towards the end of this year, but from what we’ve seen its still not quite a finished vehicle. Granted, the vehicles that they have in their factories and labs are likely more developed than the prototypes they are showing off at shows like CES 2012.

For those unfamiliar with TESLA and their Model S roadster, the vehicle is a family city vehicle which also fits into the luxury class of vehicles. Just one look at the car and you can already tell that it is a very luxurious vehicle. The base model starts at $57,000 without any rebates (federal or state) and can be upgraded in options and battery range beyond $100,000. For those looking to use this as a family vehicle they can know that the vehicle is stated to seat 7 with it comfortably seating 5 adults and 2 smaller "sub-teen" children.

One of the really exciting things about the TESLA Model S is the fact that it features a 17" touch screen infotainment system which enables the driver or user to effectively manipulate almost all of the vehicle’s controls. This display in combination with the front dash display behind the steering wheel are both powered by NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 (used to be Tegra 2) quad-core mobile processor. This powerful processor enables TESLA to easily control such a high resolution touch screen display smoothly and simply with very little to no power.

Of course, once we saw the Model S we had to hop in where we met a TESLA Motors employee who happily gave us a guided tour of the infotainment system on the Model S. We have a video of our experience below.